Animal Lover Ch. 11

Looking up at him, she places her palm over his heart. "All of it?" She gives a sad smile.

He gives her a slight smile as well. "Perhaps not all."

She cranes her neck upward slightly and he accepts the invitation, kissing her. When the kiss breaks, she sighs and places her head back against his chest.

After a couple of minutes, she shivers slightly. He gives her a squeeze, places a brief kiss on the top of her head, and releases her, saying, "I need to patrol. You should dress before you chill."

She looks down at herself, naked as the day she was born, save for the pendant, and nods. "OK. Be careful."

He smiles. "Always, sweetheart. Always."

A small swirl of snow comes in the door as he opens it.

She pads over to the bed and pulls on pants and moccasins. She hears a growl, then a thud, and the cabin wall shudders slightly as if something large had hit it.

Startled, she pulls on the sweatshirt, grabs the gun, and bursts outside.

The door hits something and rebounds as she runs around the side of the cabin.

Lyssa stops dead at the sight of two werewolves, in intermediate form, working to pick up Emmett, the wolfman himself.

Her concentration narrows to sharp focus as she fumbles to pull the slide back on the gun.

Emmett. Limp. Unconscious or dead but with no visible wound.

One of the wolfmen has a bite mark on his forearm, the other, three gashes, claw marks, on his chest.

She levels the gun at the nearest, whose head swivels at the sound from the gun. "Drop him, you goddamn animals!"

A noise behind her has her whirling, and her finger contracts on the trigger convulsively as she takes in the large, furred form coming at her.

The gun fires as it closes and six voices howl some form of pain.

Someone/something grabs her from behind and wrenches the gun away as Lyssa looks into the shocked face of a partly furred Joanna. Small breasts confirm a female, clutching a bleeding wound in the belly.

"Joanna? Omigod. Joanna?"

Joanna bares her teeth at Lyssa.

[Erich, pull her away before Jo hurts her.]

Strong arms yank Lyssa away from Joanna, who snaps at her and tries to swipe her with her claws.

A large wolfman, with Randall's eyes, grabs the wounded Joanna. [Jo, I've got you. Erich, bring the human. Samuel, secure the cabin, then follow. Roland, Gordon, bring Emmett as quickly as you are able.] All this delivered as he takes off, cradling his wounded daughter in his arms.

Lyssa struggles against the arms holding her, to no avail. All the wolves are much too strong for her. So, she screams. A furry hand claps over her mouth. She kicks, she claws, she tries to scream, tries to bite, as she is bodily carried off.

Randall is quite a distance ahead, carrying Joanna, but Lyssa can't see around the wolfman carrying her, to see what's happening with Emmett. [Alpha, she's going to need to be tied, she's not quieting.]

[Tell her we aren't going to hurt her.]

A rough, gravelly voice comes from the wolfman carrying her. "We aren't going to hurt you, do you understand?" Chest heaving, she nods.

Erich loosens his grip and removes the hand from her mouth. She starts to slither from his grasp and screams again. "HELP!!"

A sigh comes to Erich through the bond. [Alright, Erich, I didn't plan on this. We'll need to tear up some of our clothing to bind her.]

[Of course, Alpha.]

[Dad, let me talk to her. Maybe I can calm her down.]

[Jo. We are getting you to the healer. The longer we wait, the worse it will be. In addition, since she injured you it is doubtful she would trust you right now.]

[It does hurt.]

[Then, let me get you home.]

Randall retrieves the key for one of the cars as Joanna, painfully, slips on some clothing and slides inside. A moment later, with Randall wearing a set of sweatpants, they're off.

Erich arrives at the vehicles and gets the key for the second car. Lyssa tries to get away again. He sighs, she is a handful, testing both his patience and his limits.

He needed both hands to deal with her.

If he could calm her down or knock her out.. He quickly rejects that idea as he would as likely kill her as knock her out. Not that Emmett would be pleased either way. [Sam, you're gonna hafta help me with her when you get here.]

A chuckle, in fact, three, are heard through the bond. [Sure, Erich, I'll help you with the little human.]

Erich growls at the disparagement as he hauls Lyssa into the back seat with him.

Samuel douses the fire, cleans up the kitchen area, straightens the bed, grabs the duffle, and takes off for the vehicles. [On my way.]

He passes Roland and Gordon as they make their way with Emmett's dead weight. [Slowpokes.]

[You try carrying him.]

[Get over here and help me with her. Rip up a shirt or something so we can tie her up.]

[How 'bout you hold her and I drive?]

[Samuel...] He comes on the car, watching Erich hold a squirming, struggling Lyssa.

He grabs a shirt and shreds it. He wraps her hands up, wrists together. [Legs, too.] Samuel then grabs her legs, she's kicking and flailing, and ties her ankles together.

Samuel then got the spare clothes out of the trunk and threw on a t-shirt and sweatpants. As Erich released Lyssa, she began to scream again. He winced at the sound. "If you don't stop, I will gag you."

She glared at him, but shut up.

Erich got out and pulled on clothes.

"She's untying her feet."

"Damn. You drive." Erich gets back into the car beside her as the others haul Emmett into view.

She watches them bring him to the back of the Escalade.

"Why didn't you just kill me, too?"

Samuel starts the car. "He's not dead."

"What're you gonna do with us, then?"

"The Alpha will explain everything."

"I didn't mean to hurt Joanna."

"She'll be alright."

[What are you hanging around for? Go on.]

[Alright, Roland. We're gone.]

She starts screaming again when they got into traffic. Erich claps a hand over her mouth as he pulls her down, head in his lap. "We aren't going to hurt you."

Her struggles continue. "Damn. How much longer?"

Ariel stands waiting as Randall pulls into the garage with Joanna and follows as her mate takes their daughter, bleeding, to the healer.

The bullet is removed as Ariel holds her hand. "I should be there when she gets here."

"You should take it easy for a day or so."

"It's not like I'll be doing any heavy lifting or fighting, Mom. She needs to talk to someone she trusts."

Randall answers. "I don't believe she trusts any of us, anymore."

"But I can help!"

"Healer, what is your opinion?"

"Oh, yes, of what?"

"Is it unwise of Joanna to move after this injury?"

"Why, Alpha, she certainly must move." Randall gives him a hard look. "Oh. No hunting, fighting, or carrying large objects until I see you again tomorrow."

"But, I can do almost anything else?"

"Certainly." He pauses, looks at her. "You don't feel the need to stay here, do you?"

"No, healer. Thank you."

Joanna rises, wincing, and starts ascending the stairs, slowly.

"Joanna, she did shoot you."

"She didn't mean to, Mom. She just meant to defend herself, and Emmett. Like any of us would. She either thinks we're going to kill them of that we're going to send her to Thomas. And no one's told either of them differently. How would you expect them to react?"

"Nothing has gone as expected with this female around. I wonder now if it is wise to bring her into the pack."

Randall runs his hand into his mate's hair, rubs the back of her neck. She responds with something that sounds almost like a purr. "Perhaps we have become too complacent, mate. Emmett sees something in her and we have no reason not to trust his judgment in his choice of mate."

[Alpha, we'll be at the gate in 6 minutes.]

[Understood, Samuel.] "Samuel and Erich will be here with the.. Lyssa in a few minutes."

Joanna smiles at her father. "And, Emmett?"

"Some distance behind, I'm sure. Do you, really, Jo, feel up to helping us?"

Joanna nods, vigorously. "I really want to."

"Alright then, here's what we'll do.."

Lyssa was allowed to sit back up as they came within sight of the compound. Her fear ramped up as she caught sight of the house.

"Oh, thank Selene," Samuel says, "she reeks."

Her defiance picks up at the statement. "Yeah, you smell, too."

Erich sighs, attempting to be diplomatic. "We can smell your fear. It isn't pleasant. You really have no reason to be afraid of us."

"Seriously? I'm tied up, in the back of a car, being dragged back to a place I ran away from."

"And we haven't hurt you."

She pauses. "But. I shot Joanna. Randall and Ariel have got to be pissed."

Erich does not respond as they pull up. Faces peer out of windows on every floor of the house. Wolves, outside, also turn and watch. Randall, Ariel, Stephanie, and Joanna stand there, waiting for them.

Lyssa releases a breath. "She's alright."

The car stops. Samuel gets out as the four wolves approach.

Erich unties her and opens the door on the other side of her. As they get out, she looks around and quickly dives into the front seat. Just as she reaches for the keys Samuel left in the ignition, three wolves in human form slide into the car. She slumps in defeat.

[She has a quick mind, husband.]

[Indeed, she has the potential to be a great strategist.]

Ariel stretches out her hands to Lyssa. "Welcome back. Emmett will be here soon."

Lyssa, highly confused, gets out of the car. Stephanie, Erich, and Samuel relax and exit as well.

Joanna takes her hand. "C'mon. Let's get you cleaned up and into some girly clothes. Are you hungry?"

Lyssa, mystified, shakes her head. "No. Um, aren't you mad at me?"

"Why? Are you mad at me?"

"But, I.."

Joanna flashes a smile. "..defended yourself?"

It was all too weird. Ariel, welcoming her back, Joanna, smiling, leading her to, Emmett's room? No threats. No cell. Stephanie following, as she had when she'd first arrived.

Joanna chatted as Lyssa shed the clothes she had worn for days,climbed into the shower and groaned at how marvelous the hot water felt. Stephanie remained in the other room.

Lyssa emerges to a big, fluffy towel and the overwhelming feeling that she'd been dropped into another dimension.

She dressed simply, jeans and a sweater, socks and sneakers. Joanna led her over to the seating area as Stephanie stood nearby, arms crossed.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Having a conversation with my friend?"

"Why are my clothes here? Joanna, what's going on? Emmett said we'd be killed if we ran." Stephanie scoffs. "Is he dead? Where is he?" She's clenching her fists. "Why are you being nice to me?"

"OK. OK. Lyssa, calm down. No one's going to kill you.."

The Escalade was rocking violently, perilously close to tipping over on a side, as it rolled into the garage. One of the back windows was busted out.

Emmett roars and snarls in the back and had found and ripped out one of the tranquilizer darts that had incapacitated him. "Cowards! Bastards! LYSSA! Where is she? What have you done with her?"

Roland and Gordon gratefully get out and open the rear of the SUV as Randall and Ariel walk up.

"Emmett."

"COWARD!" Randall bristles and Ariel lays a calming hand on her mate's arm.

Ariel steps nearer. "Emmett, listen to me."

The chained and enraged werewolf in the back of the SUV rolls out, onto the floor of the garage, near her feet.

"Lyssa is fine. She's in your room. If you calm down we will take you to her."

The wolfman pulls to his full height, draped in heavy chain. "Just kill me, Randall, and have done with it. I don't need the punishment of seeing what you've done to her."

"Emmett, my friend, where did you ever get the idea that I would kill you if you ran? We allow wolves to leave all the time."

Emmett stares at his Alpha and spits out one word. "Simon."

Randall shakes his head. "Ah. Yes. You were too young to know the whole story. My father explained it to me since it was part of the responsibility of being Alpha. Simon ran because he had killed a pup of the Tucker pack when she had the audacity to nip at him. That was his crime and the reason he was killed."

Emmett looks unconvinced.

Randall begins to walk back and forth before him.

"Lyssa is a handful, Emmett. She truly is. She ran out of the cabin with a gun to try and save you. She stood there and ordered Roland and Gordon to let you go." A pause. "Unfortunately, I brought Joanna along, to help keep her calm, and she startled her." Emmett sucks in a breath. Randall holds up a hand. "She'll be fine. With a scar and a story to tell about it. An accident, while she was trying to defend you and herself."

"She was very brave. She's also a very quick thinker, strategic."

"And, as you know, Ariel had a positive assessment of her after we met at her house."

"I believe she would make a fine addition to this pack."

"As Thomas' mate."

"No, my friend. [Thomas, to the garage.] We know Thomas did not mate her."

Ariel speaks up now. "Thomas has been disabused of the notion that any guest in our den would be allowed to come to harm."

Thomas runs into the garage, standing with head twisted to the side, offering his throat.

He looks pale, haggard, with numerous new scars.

"You may go back to work."

"Thank you, my Alphas." He scurries off.

"Emmett. You know my word is good."

"We have not harmed Lyssa. There will be no punishment for your flight."

"You are free to claim her as your mate. We've waited long for you to find yours."

The chained wolfman looks first at Randall, then Ariel, both smiling. Randall holds a key in his hand. "Welcome home, my friend."

"LYSSA!"

Lyssa turns and stands at Emmett's bellow, taking a step toward the door.

Joanna grabs her. "I wouldn't go near the door."

She's right. The door fairly explodes off its hinges as Emmett, the brown-eyed, grey-furred wolfman, bursts into the room and grabs her.

Sweeping her up, he spins her and plants a kiss on her. Her eyes go wide and she pounds on his chest. He pulls back a bit and loosens his grip. She sucks in a breath.

He drops to human form, "Oh, sweetheart, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

She sighs. "Taking my breath away, literally, Em."

Concern etched on his face, he drops down to a knee and takes her arms. "Are you hurt?"

"Um. No. Might be a little sore tomorrow." He looks crestfallen. "Is everything alright?"

Excited now by the prospects, he picks her up again. "Yes. Did Joanna tell you?" Lyssa nods. "I never dreamed.." He nuzzles her neck. "Oh, Luna, it's all over. We can stay here, start a family.." He feels a change in her body posture.

He sags a little. No. That's right. He straightens and sets her on her feet. "Anna and Jeremy will speak to you tomorrow. Ask them anything, anything at all, and they will answer."

He looks down at her, hands on her shoulders. "Will you stay here with me tonight? We could find another room.."

She reaches up to touch his face. "No, Emmett, I'd rather stay here, with you."

Emmett's face lights up and he scoops her up again, carefully, and kisses her. "I should probably clean up and then we should talk."

Lyssa sits, listening to the rhythmic fall of the water. Adrenaline surge exhausted, coupled with the lateness of the hour, the sound of falling water lulls her.

Emmett comes out of the bathroom, running a towel over his wet hair. His words die in his throat as he sees her falling asleep in the chair.

Smiling, he pulls back the bedcovers. He then pads over and tenderly picks her up. She jerks, waking suddenly, then relaxes in his arms. He places her in the bed, pulls off shoes, socks, and pants.

She sleepily objects, "Emmett. The door."

He kisses her as he crawls in the bed beside her. "Nobody cares, Lys. Go to sleep."

He pulls the blanket over her, puts an arm around her, and pulls her close.

Sleep. In his own bed with his intended mate.

Back in his pack. It was just a matter of time before he had a family of his own, once again.

He dreamed of a chestnut wolf, a pair of pups, one grey, one dark brown. Lyssa, smiling up at him, wanting him.

She sighed and shifted in the bed. He roused briefly, scented the air, and fell back into dreams.